This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from an application for CORDLESS FACSIMILE SYSTEM WITH TELEPHONE ANSWERING FUNCTION AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME earlier filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on the 8th of August 1997, and there duly assigned Ser. No. 37869/1997, a copy of which application is annexed hereto.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a facsimile system, and in particular, to a cordless facsimile system with a telephone answering function, which is connected to a public (or private) switched telephone network in radio communication with a base unit.
2. Related Art
Generally, a facsimile system having an automatic telephone answering function as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,851 for Facsimile Apparatus Operable In Facsimile Or Conversation Mode issued to Kotani et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,455 for Facsimile Arrangement having Automatic Answering Telephone Set And Facsimile Set And Switching Process Therefor issued to Satomi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,179 for Facsimile Apparatus With Automatic Answering Telephone Function issued to Yamamoto et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,463 for Facsimile Machine Having Telephone Answering Function issued to Ohnishi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,771 for Facsimile Machine Having Answering Function issued to Ohnishi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,105 for Facsimile Apparatus Operable In Facsimile Or Telephone Mode issued to Sakai, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,557 for Facsimile Apparatus With Automatic Telephone Answering Function issued to Tanaka, includes a facsimile module for facsimile communication, an attached telephone for telephone communication and a recording device for recording a voice message from a caller. Typically, the facsimile system is connected directly via a telephone line for access to the public switched telephone network. When a remote caller wants to call or send a facsimile to a host facsimile system, the caller accesses to the host facsimile system by dialing its telephone number via a remote telephone or a remote facsimile system. If a caller sends a signal via a telephone when the facsimile system answers in a telephone/facsimile mode, telephone conversation is permitted. If the caller sends a signal via a remote facsimile system when the facsimile system answers in the same telephone/facsimile mode, facsimile communication is permitted. On the other hand, if the caller sends a signal via a telephone when the facsimile system answers in an answering/facsimile mode, an answering message is transmitted to the caller upon signal reception and a voice message from the caller is recorded. If the caller sends a signal via a remote facsimile system when the facsimile system answers in the answering/facsimile mode, facsimile communication is permitted.
In recent years, facsimile systems have become ubiquitous and are commonly available both in the workplace as well as in the home office. Facsimile technology has become more desirable as a means to efficiently facilitate telephonic communication between subscribers. For example, cordless telephone sets with automatic answering function have been incorporated into a facsimile system in the manner described by, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,200,991 for Image Communication System Including A Mobile Telephone Set And A Facsimile Device issued to Motoyanagi, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,329 for Facsimile Apparatus And Alarm System With Cordless Telephone Set issued to Hayashi, for greater ease of telephonic and facsimile communications between subscribers. Typically, the cordless telephone set is connected to the facsimile system by a flexible cable, and each of the cordless telephone set and the facsimile system has an independent central processing unit which tends to be cost prohibitive. In addition, a separate telephone answering device is installed in the telephone set for realizing the automatic telephone answering function. Other cordless types of facsimile systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,511 for Facsimile System With Base Unit Connected To Wire Network And In Communication With Multiple Extension Sets By Wire Or Radio Transmission issued to Nagatomo, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,608 for Cordless Communication Facsimile System issued to Charbonnier et al. In Nagatomo ""511, the facsimile system is stationary and connected to a telephone network but a plurality of portable extension sets in the form of scanners are cordless and mobile for multiple users to share the common facsimile system. In Charbonnier ""608, the facsimile system is intended to operate in two modes: a handset mode in which the system is used as a cordless telephone handset, and a base mode in which the system is used as a conventional facsimile system.
Most recent models of cordless type of facsimile systems with an automatic telephone answering function, as I have observed, rely heavily on a cordless telephone set having a separate telephone answering device for realizing the telephone answering function. Accordingly, there is a need for a cordless facsimile system capable of realizing a telephone answering function without a separate telephone answering device.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved facsimile system and process.
It is also an object to provide a cordless facsimile system capable of realizing a telephone answering function without a separate telephone answering device.
It is another object to provide a cordless facsimile system having an automatic telephone answering,device integrated therein for performing a telephone answering function.
It is further an object to provide a cordless facsimile system having a single central processing unit for controlling all facsimile, and telephone functions including a telephone answering function.
These and other objects of the present invention can be achieved by a cordless facsimile system with a telephone answering function which includes a stationary base unit connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and a cordless, mobile facsimile unit in radio communication with the base unit. The cordless, mobile facsimile unit includes a radio circuit for demodulating a reception signal received from the base unit and modulating a transmission signal to transmit the modulated signal to the base unit; a voice processor for converting an analog voice signal output from the radio circuit into digital voice data and converting the digital voice data into the analog voice signal to transmit the converted analog voice signal to the radio circuit; a memory for storing voice data for an outgoing message and an incoming message; a controller for establishing a speech path with the PSTN via the base unit upon receiving an incoming ring signal from the base unit, reading the voice data for the outgoing message stored in the memory to transmit the read voice data to the base unit through the voice processor and the radio circuit, and storing in the memory the voice data for the incoming message received from the PSTN through the radio circuit and the voice processor.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example.